Curt Oswalt (right) practices with Ian penury in preparation for the World Championship for wheelchair fencing at the San Antonio Fencing Center on July 16, 2013.

Photo By For the San Antonio Express-News

Curt Oswalt pulls his equipment out before he practices in preparation for the World Championship for wheelchair fencing at the San Antonio Fencing Center on July 16, 2013.

Photo By For the San Antonio Express-News

Curt Oswalt (right) practices with Ian Penry as coach Curtis Hardy watches in preparation for the World Championship for wheelchair fencing at the San Antonio Fencing Center on July 16, 2013.

Photo By For the San Antonio Express-News

Curt Oswalt (left) practices with Ian Penry as coach Curtis Hardy watches in preparation for the World Championship for wheelchair fencing at the San Antonio Fencing Center on July 16, 2013.

Photo By For the San Antonio Express-News

Curt Oswalt gets coach Curtis Hardy to adjust his gear as he practices in preparation for the World Championship for wheelchair fencing at the San Antonio Fencing Center on July 16, 2013.

Photo By For the San Antonio Express-News

Curt Oswalt (right) and Ian Penry get fitted in sparring gear before Oswalt practices in preparation for the World Championship for wheelchair fencing at the San Antonio Fencing Center on July 16, 2013.

Descended from an ancient form of combat, fencing is a difficult enough sport while standing on two legs.

Imagine dueling in a wheelchair.

Welcome to the world of Curt Oswalt, a wounded warrior who qualified to compete in wheelchair fencing at the 2013 World Championship in Budapest, Hungary, in August.

“Seated fencing is like fighting with swords in a phone booth,” said Curtis Hardy, Oswalt's coach. “It's a test of courage, tenacity and facing your fears. You have three feet of steel coming at you in less than 1/30 of a second, and you have nowhere to run.”

Most of the fencers at the world level have been competing for decades, but the ex-Air Force technical sergeant did not start fencing until 2005, when he joined a class at Palo Alto College.

“Olympic fencer Vincent Bradford was teaching the class at the time I signed up,” Oswalt recalled. “I was the only wheelchair fencer in the class, so he would make everyone rotate to sit in a chair and fence against me. It made them faster in handwork and gave me people to fence.”

“Curt has a lot of potential in our sport,” Hardy said. “What we look for in an athlete is not so much skill as desire. He has 100-percent commitment in the program and is always pushing for more lessons. He's a true student of fencing.”

Oswalt primarily competes in the events of foil (a light thrusting weapon that mostly targets the torso, head and neck) and épée (a little heavier weapon, with the entire body as a valid target).

He has competed in numerous events, winning bronze at the U.S. Nationals, which qualified him for the world championships.

Oswalt said. “I got big points at Nationals and at the World Cup where I beat the fifth-ranked fencer in the world at épée. That took luck because anyone can be beaten at any time. That day I just so happened to beat that fencer.”

Oswalt served for 91/2 years as an Arabic linguist in the Air Force before he retired in 2002 due to major injuries he sustained in 1999 and 2002. He continues to suffer grand mal seizures.

Since leaving the Air Force, Oswalt has been unemployable, said his wife, Beth Oswalt.

“No one wants to carry the insurance or the liability with someone that has seizures,” Beth Oswalt said. “He's a war veteran and still knows Arabic, so it's a real waste to see him just sitting at home when he could still be quite useful.”

That's why fencing has become so important to Oswalt.

He's excited to represent Texas and his country at the world championships, and hopes to qualify for the Paralympics in 2016 as well.

“Being a competitive athlete is a step on the road to improvement,” he said. “Fencing is now my way of serving my country.”

Curt Oswalt must pay for most of his expenses to attend the fencing world championship in Hungary. If you would like to contribute, visit www.indiegogo.com, go to the Sports category and search wounded warrior.